U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke arrived in Bangalore today for the second
stop of his high-technology business development trade mission to India. Locke
is joined by a U.S. delegation of 24 businesses seeking to promote exports of
leading U.S. technologies and services related to civil nuclear energy, civil
aviation, defense and homeland security, and information and communications
technology.

“We look forward to making continued progress, not just to
lay the groundwork for more sales of U.S. goods in India, but to take another
real step towards strengthening the bonds between the governments, the
businesses and the people of India and the United States,” Locke
said.

Locke’s major focus in Bangalore will be the aviation sector
as he inaugurates the U.S. pavilion at the Aero India defense aircraft trade
show and meets with India’s Defense Minister A.K. Antony. India’s growing
aviation sector offers U.S. aerospace companies an estimated $55 billion in
export opportunities in large civilian aircraft and civil aviation
infrastructure during the next five years

Locke’s first stop on his visit was Hindustan Aeronautics
Ltd.’s (HAL) facilities. HAL is one of Asia’s largest aerospace companies,
employing approximately 34,000 people with roughly $2 billion in annual revenue.
The company has partnered with leading U.S. aerospace manufacturers – Boeing,
Honeywell, and Lockheed Martin – on several projects. The U.S export content
value for HAL is $40 to $50 million dollars annually with hundreds of millions
in future export opportunities.

“HAL’s supplier and partnership arrangements with U.S.
companies are producing tangible benefits for both our economies by generating
greater industrial cooperation and commercial commitments, technology sharing,
and high-value jobs in both countries,” Locke said.

Later in the day, Locke participated in an Aero India 2011
press conference with U.S. Ambassador Timothy Roemer, and met with American
Chamber of Commerce and U.S. India Business Council delegates. U.S.
participation in Aero India is the largest to date with over 40 U.S. companies.

The pace of trade between the United States and India is
accelerating. Between 2002 and 2009, U.S. goods exports to India quadrupled,
growing from $4.1 billion to more than $16.4 billion. Through the first eleven
months of 2010, U.S. merchandise exports to India totaled $17.6 billion, up 17
percent from the same period in 2009. With economic growth estimates at about
9.7 percent in 2010, India is a key market for the Obama administration’s
National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports in five
years.